GrantA Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 Just moved from the west coast to the east coast and well the lakes are full of pickeral. Any recommendations on how to prevent a pickeral stealing a swimbait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEbucketmouth19 Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 If the lake truly only has pickerel....I don't do anything. If a trophy pickerel wants to take a shot at a swimbait and manages to choke it deep enough to cut the line, so be it. I've yet to have it happen (knock on wood). If it is a known pike lake (not just something they used to stock in the 90s but a sustained population) I use titanium wire leaders on my hardbaits. Soft baits I still just let it happen. I broke off an 8" WRS last summer on a pike, it sucks but at the end of the day I'm not throwing 100 dollar soft baits so it's a calculated loss I'm willing to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrantA Posted September 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 I'm not targeting pickeral and I want to avoid em. It's a lake here in Alabama that gets stocked with pickeral but not pike. Would a very short steel leader work then? Like a 4 inch steel leader so bass would have a hard time picking it up but the pickeral cant bite through it. I just dont want like my roman made to get bit off...that would suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 16 hours ago, GrantA said: I'm not targeting pickeral and I want to avoid em. It's a lake here in Alabama that gets stocked with pickeral but not pike. Would a very short steel leader work then? Like a 4 inch steel leader so bass would have a hard time picking it up but the pickeral cant bite through it. I just dont want like my roman made to get bit off...that would suck. Personally I don't think using any length of steel leader is worth it. In 10 years I don't think I've ever been bitten off in freshwater by anything. This includes using 6 pound test. 20 and above pound test I wouldn't worry about a pickeral. Everyone I've seen break off on a pickeral did so because they were too busy dicking around with it at the side of the boat bitching. That's how you snap off pickeral haha. Just net it so you're bait can't be swam off with and move on. yev14 and northeast_trev 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dylan628 Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 JUST DONT LET THEN SWALLOW THE BAIT. I’ve thrown hinkles in pike infested waters. They usually eat it from the back not the front like a bass. Don’t worry about it and just fish without a leader. If you ever run into a problem then put a leader on but I’d avoid doing so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrantA Posted September 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 Okay so what I'm gathering is that theres no need for a wire and I shouldn't worry...got it! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthod Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 51 minutes ago, dylan628 said: JUST DONT LET THEN SWALLOW THE BAIT. I’ve thrown hinkles in pike infested waters. They usually eat it from the back not the front like a bass. Don’t worry about it and just fish without a leader. If you ever run into a problem then put a leader on but I’d avoid doing so Until the pike/musky rolls, then you may be in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jthod Posted September 4, 2018 Report Share Posted September 4, 2018 Unless you're fishing gin clear water, Single strand titanium wire leader. Ties with regular knots, easy to work with, small diameter (compared to 100lb fluoro, or 7 strand wire with crimps and such) NEbucketmouth19 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dheath2 Posted September 5, 2018 Report Share Posted September 5, 2018 leave your RM on the mantle. GrantA and Gmcgee123 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted September 7, 2018 Report Share Posted September 7, 2018 Pickeral don't like slammers for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmaster1 Posted September 7, 2018 Report Share Posted September 7, 2018 4 hours ago, bigpoppabass said: Pickeral don't like slammers for some reason. Never got a northern on a slammer, but my PB came on a 6” wood Lunker Punker. Probably the best blowup I’ve ever had from any species, even smallmouth. Viscous fish pike are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEbucketmouth19 Posted September 7, 2018 Report Share Posted September 7, 2018 7 hours ago, bigpoppabass said: Pickeral don't like slammers for some reason. Yea I don't know what it is about pickerel. Smaller baitfish presentations (smaller keitechs, swimjigs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, cranks etc. etc.) I can't keep them off, they massacre them no matter the conditions. Bump up to those 6+" hardbaits and I don't even get a sniff. Never had one go after a slammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted September 8, 2018 Report Share Posted September 8, 2018 9 hours ago, bigpoppabass said: Pickeral don't like slammers for some reason. True. I've only caught 1 pickeral in many many hours of throwing a slammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaineBassin Posted September 9, 2018 Report Share Posted September 9, 2018 I'll add on here with my fellow new Englanders. I'm in Maine, and since going to big swimbaits (6" plus), I have not had one pickerel. And I'm fishing the same waters that I've caught them in the past before committing to swimbaits. Now I don't own anything more expensive than a slammer, but the more I fish the more confidence I'm getting. And I'm finding that I'm catching more further offshore away from more popular pickerel habitat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdatwe Posted September 11, 2018 Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 Like the others have said I don't think you'll have a problem with Pickerel cutting your line - I've caught some fairly big ones and their teeth don't seem that formidable unless you are fishing less than 20lb test; I fish with 100lb mono leader because musky are a possibility, but I've caught bass using it, I don't think it scares them in the murky waters I fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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